The Warriors of Qiugang (**3/4)

This is one of the five Oscar-nominated short films of 2010, the story of a Chinese village battling a chemical company whose waste water has contaminated the water and food supply. The details of the village, the company (which had been purchased from the government in 2003), or the pollution is less interesting than what the fight shows about modern China. There are laws on the books and a court system that provide a mechanism for change. There is even a national government that does not oppose them, and may even lend them support, if they can get any attention. The impediments are familiar, local officials in cahoots with private industry, although the details are sketchy. The picture I got is not of an ideological battle, but a battle of ordinary citizens against powerful interests, a story not altogether different from the time when the United States first recognized pollution as a serious danger.

The film can be viewed here.

IMDB link

viewed online and reviewed 2/2/11

Food Inc. (***3/4)

In the last 50 years, the way Americans eat has been quietly transformed, mostly for the worse, and this riveting documentary is part of a small-but-growing effort to change things. At this point, it’s common knowledge that what is often called the Western diet is not ideal from a health standpoint. Super Size Me (2004) became one of the highest-grossing documentaries by demonstrating the effects of too much fast food. Somewhat less well-known is how the family farm of the popular imagination has almost entirely given way to a system built on the model of big business. Director Robert Kenner shows how and why this has occurred, and the unique effects of this model as applied to food.

Kenner covers ground explored in the nonfiction of Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), among others. These two are among the experts who appear (Schlosser is a co-producer), and for people familiar with their work, much here will be familiar, but the visuals and the testimonials from individuals are still valuable. For those new to the subject, the information here is likely to surprise and shock. Along with contributing to an epidemic of obesity and poor nutrition, the current system results in unnecessary animal abuse, food-borne illnesses, and industrial pollution. The film looks at all of these aspects with the organizing principle being the increasing control of production by a few large companies, often subsized by taxpayers.

Kenner condenses a lot of information into the space of a single feature, with a good mix of solid facts and individual testimonials. Anyone who eats should see this.

IMDB link

viewed (Philadelphia Film Festival) and reviewed 6/19/09